Audio system having an improved efficiency and extended operation time

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the disclosure may include a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency and extending the operation time between recharges or replacement batteries of a portable audio delivery system. The audio delivery system may include a processor, an audio processing device, a speaker, and a rechargeable power source. The audio delivery system is generally configured to generate and/or receive an audio input signal and efficiently deliver an amplified, high quality audio output signal to a user. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the audio processing device of the audio delivery system may include a switch mode power supply (SMPS), a signal delay element, an envelope detector, and a switching signal amplifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No.14/804,253, filed Jul. 20, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/099,380, filed Jan. 2, 2015,which are both herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and apparatusof delivering a high quality audio output from an audio device that ispowered by a power source that has a limited energy storage capacity.

Description of the Related Art

The popularity of portable music players has increased dramatically inthe past decade. Modern portable music players allow music enthusiaststo listen to music in a wide variety of different environments withoutrequiring access to a wired power source. For example, abattery-operated portable music player such as an iPod® or a wirelessspeaker coupled to an iPod® or similar device is capable of playingmusic in a wide variety of locations without needing to be plugged in.Conventional portable music players and/or wireless speakers aretypically designed to have a small form factor in order to increaseportability. Accordingly, the batteries within such devices are usuallysmall and only provide several hours of operation before the batteriesneed to be recharged or replaced.

As a result, the speakers within conventional portable music players andconventional wireless speakers often times have a dynamic range coveringonly a fraction of the frequency spectrum associated with most modernmusic. For example, modern music often includes a wide range of bassfrequencies. However, the speakers within a conventional portable musicplayer or wireless speaker usually cannot play all of the bassfrequencies due to physical limitations of the speakers themselves, orbecause of the way the amplifying circuitry in the portable music playeror wireless speaker are driven causes the useable power found in thebatteries within the device to discharge rapidly. The power supply inconventional portable music players and wireless speakers is commonlylimited by a finite energy storage capacity provided by the battery. Therate of energy consumption by the device determines the time ofoperation of the device until the battery needs to be recharged orreplaced.

A power amplifier in an audio device receives an input signal, and usinga power supply voltage, produces an output signal having the same shapebut larger magnitude than the input signal. Typical conventional audiodevices use linear types of power amplifiers, such as class A and ABamplifiers, due to simplicity and in most cases desirable sound qualityis provided using these types of amplifiers. The efficiency of most ofthese analog amplifiers is poor, thus reducing the time of operation ofthe audio delivery device between charges of a battery-type powersupply.

Power amplifiers are used in the output stages of audio devices to drivea loudspeaker load. Typical loudspeakers may have nominal impedance in arange between about 4 ohms (Ω) and 8Ω, but the actual load impedancevaries with frequency. Power amplifiers must be able to supply the highpeak currents and peak voltages required to drive these loudspeakers andoperate efficiently with a dynamic range of voltage amplitude as part ofaudio input signal data. The “rail” voltage provided to the amplifierneeds to deliver sufficient power to ensure that the highest amplitudesof an input signal can be amplified in the same proportion as the loweramplitudes without distortion. However, there is an efficiency penaltyfor providing excess rail voltage to the amplifier for a given inputsignal. Excess rail voltage causes inefficiency and rapidly dischargespower from a power source, such as a battery. Alternatively, ifinsufficient rail voltage is provided to the amplifier, then distortionmay occur in the amplified signal.

Therefore, there is a need for an audio device that solves the problemsdescribed above. There is also a need for an amplifier containing anaudio device that has improved efficiency, while preventing signaldistortion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments enclosed herein include a method and portable audio deliverysystem that has an improved efficiency and extended operation betweenrecharges or battery replacements. An audio device includes a switchmode power supply (SMPS) coupled to a battery, a signal delay element,an envelope detector, and a switching signal amplifier. The amplifierreceives a delayed input signal through a signal delay element after apredetermined lag time has elapsed. The amplifier amplifies the delayedinput signal to produce an output signal using a variable rail voltageprovided by the SMPS. By using an envelope detector to control the SMPSusing a power instruction signal based on a characteristic of the inputsignal, the SMPS may be instructed to change the variable rail voltagethat is received by the amplifier. In this manner, the amplifier is moreefficiently managed and thereby the duration of time that the device maybe powered by the power source is extended before the power source(e.g., battery) needs to be recharged or replaced.

In one example, an audio device is disclosed. The audio device includesa signal delay element configured to receive an input signal thatincludes the audio signal data and produce a delayed input signal thatincludes the audio signal data after a predetermined lag time haselapsed. The audio device further includes a switching signal amplifierto produce an output signal having an output voltage based on thedelayed input signal, a gain of the switching signal amplifier, and areceived variable rail voltage. The audio device further includes anenvelope detector to receive the input signal and produce a powerinstruction signal based on at least one characteristic of the inputsignal detected during the predetermined lag time. The audio devicefurther includes power supply providing a battery voltage. The audiodevice further includes a switch mode power supply configured to providethe variable rail voltage based on the battery voltage and the powerinstruction signal received from the envelope detector. In this manner,the variable rail voltage provided to the amplifier may be adjusted toprovide efficient operation. The envelope detector may also beconfigured to select one of at least two predetermined levels of outputthat is used to generate the variable rail voltage.

In another example a method for providing an output signal using anaudio device is disclosed. The method includes delaying, with a signaldelay element, a received input signal that includes audio signal datato produce a delayed input signal after a predetermined lag time haselapsed. The method also includes generating, with a switching signalamplifier, the output signal having an output voltage based on thedelayed input signal, a gain of the switching signal amplifier, and areceived variable rail voltage. The method also includes generating apower instruction signal, with an envelope detector, based on at leastone characteristic of the received input signal during the predeterminedlag time. The method also includes delivering, with a switch mode powersupply, a variable rail voltage signal to the switching amplifier,wherein the variable rail voltage signal is derived from a voltagereceived from a battery and the power instruction signal. In thismanner, the input signal may be amplified while avoiding clipping orother distortion.

In another example, an audio device is disclosed. The audio deviceincludes a digital signal processing module having a signal delayelement configured to receive an input signal that includes audio signaldata and to produce a delayed input signal that include the audio signaldata after a predetermined lag time has elapsed. The digital signalprocessing module further has an envelope detector configured to receivethe input signal and to produce a power instruction signal based on atleast one characteristic of the input signal detected during thepredetermined lag time. The audio device also includes a switchingsignal amplifier to receive the delayed input signal and to produce anoutput signal having an output voltage based on a gain of the switchingsignal amplifier and a received variable rail voltage, wherein theswitching signal amplifier comprises a class-D signal amplifier. Theaudio device includes a battery providing a battery voltage. The audiodevice also includes the switch mode power supply configured to providethe variable rail voltage based on the battery voltage and the powerinstruction signal received from the envelope detector. The audio systemalso may include an interface coupled to a speaker configured to receivethe output signal from the switching signal amplifier, wherein thespeaker is configured to convert the output signal to an audio signal.In this manner, energy efficient amplification of the input signal isprovided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the inventioncan be understood in detail, a more particular description of theinvention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an audio delivery system thatincludes one or more exemplary electronic devices, such a firstelectronic device and a second electronic device that are eachconfigured to interact with each other according to one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a portion of the first electronicdevice, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a graph depicting an exemplary input signal as a function oftime.

FIG. 4A is a graph illustrating a portion of the input signal depictedin FIG. 3 and characteristics of the input signal that may be analyzed,according to an embodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 4B is a graph depicting a variable rail voltage superimposed on anoutput signal derived from the audio signal data illustrated in FIG. 4A,according to an embodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the signal amplifier that includesvarious components used to amplify a received input signal, according toan embodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 5B is a graph of efficiency of the signal amplifier as a functionof load power for an exemplary high rail voltage and an exemplary lowrail voltage, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of theenvelope detector of FIG. 2 with two channels, according to anembodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of theenvelope detector of FIG. 2 with two channels, according to anembodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 8 is schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of aswitch mode power supply (SMPS), according to an embodiment of thedisclosure provided herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method for providing an output signalwith an audio device, according to an embodiment of the disclosureprovided herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method of determining the contents of a powerinstruction signal that is to be sent to the switch mode power supply,according to an embodiment of the disclosure provided herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation. The drawings referred to here should not beunderstood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted. Also, thedrawings are often simplified and details or components omitted forclarity of presentation and explanation. The drawings and discussionserve to explain principles discussed below, where like designationsdenote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a more thorough understanding of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art thatone or more of the embodiments of the present disclosure may bepracticed without one or more of these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoidobscuring one or more of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the disclosure may include a method and apparatus forimproving the efficiency and extending the operation time betweenrecharges or battery replacements of a portable audio delivery system.Embodiments of the disclosure may provide an audio delivery system thatincludes a processor, an audio processing device, a speaker, and arechargeable power source. The audio delivery system is generallyconfigured to generate and/or receive an audio input signal andefficiently deliver an amplified, high quality audio output signal to auser. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the audio processing deviceof the audio delivery system may include a switch mode power supply(SMPS), a signal delay element, an envelope detector, and a signalamplifier.

The operation time between recharges of a typical portable audio devicedepends on the availability of energy delivered from a finite powersource, such as batteries, that have a limited energy storage capacity.The efficient use of the useable energy of a battery enables an audiodevice to be operated as long as possible before the battery needs to berecharged or replaced. In general, there are two main non-exclusiveapproaches to prolonging the useable operational time of abattery-powered electronic device before recharging or replacing thebattery: providing batteries that have larger energy storage capacities;and operating the electronic device more efficiently when being poweredby the energy from the batteries. Providing larger batteries increasesthe device cost and typically affects its form factor, so there is aneed for ways to improve the efficiency of a portable audio device.

Audio delivery devices typically perform multiple tasks to deliver anaudio signal in the form of sound to the user, including receivingand/or generating an audio signal, storing the audio signal, retrievingthe audio signal from storage, and converting the audio signal into asound that the user can perceive and enjoy. In this regard, audiodelivery devices support activities in the electrical and mechanicaldomains, wherein the output signal created by the audio device isreceived by a transducer (sometimes called “driver”) of a speaker systemwhich converts the output signal of the audio delivery device into soundto be received by the user. The load applied by the speaker system uponthe audio device can be substantial when the amplitude of the outputtedsound is large. The audio signal data received by the audio device asinput is typically insufficient to support the amount of power (e.g.,voltage and current) required by the speaker system to produce adesirable output to the user. The task of amplifying the input signal toproduce a desirable output signal compatible with the speaker system isoften an inefficient process, which can provide one of the biggestopportunities to improve the efficiency of an audio delivery device. Byway of example, more energy may be dissipated in the amplificationprocess in some audio delivery approaches than is consumed by thespeaker system.

There are several power amplification techniques that are available foraudio delivery systems. Power amplifiers are conveniently classifiedaccording to letters, for example, Class-A, B, AB, C, G, H and D.Amplifier classes A through C are referred to as linear amplifiers, andare distinguished by the percentage of time that a direct current (DC)bias current flows through a collector or drain of the output-stagetransistors of the amplifier and as such must dissipate as heat someportion of the power provided by the power supply while they deliver theoutput voltage and current needed to operate the loudspeaker driver.Class-A/B is the most common linear amplifier and considered to be thebest compromise between distortion and power consumption.

Class-A linear amplifiers include output-stage transistors which aredirectly connected to the speaker system and produce high fidelityamplification. These output-stage transistors may be, for example,bipolar junction (BJT) or metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors.In order to provide the amplified output signal with high fidelity, theoutput-stage transistors of class-A amplifiers operate in the linearregion where output voltage is proportional to input voltage and areprovided with a large DC-bias to supply power. The DC-bias is linkedwith inefficiency and power loss as it results in non-zero drain-sourcecurrent in at least one of the output-stage transistors even when nopower is needed by the speaker system. In many cases, more power may beconsumed by a class-A amplifier than is consumed by the speaker system.This large inefficiency makes class-A amplifiers impractical forportable devices where conserving energy to prolong the operation timeof the amplifier between recharges of the power source is valued.

In contrast, Class-B amplifiers attempt to improve power efficiency byemploying two output-stage transistors arranged in a push-pull manner toamplify respectively positive and negative portions of an input signal.The resulting amplified signals from the two output-stage transistorsare combined to produce the output. Power efficiency is improved overthe class-A amplifier by reducing the large DC-bias by switching off oneor more of the output-stage transistors as part of the push-pullapproach. However, the class-B amplifier approach has fidelity qualityissues due to signal distortion occurring when switching between the twooutput-stage transistors. A hybrid Class-AB amplifier attempts toimprove signal fidelity by adding additional DC-bias to the twooutput-stage amplifiers to reduce distortion when switching betweenoutput-stage transistors, however, the combination of lower efficiencyand signal distortion is typically inadequate for portable devices withhigh fidelity amplification requirements.

Class-C amplifiers are another linear amplifier type, but not apractical choice for portable audio delivery devices. Although class-Camplifiers conduct less than half of the input signal to improveefficiency, the class-C amplifiers generally suffer from high distortionwhich is reduced by tank circuits incorporated into circuits havingclass-C amplifiers. These tank circuits are generally impractical foraudio signal data frequency ranges (e.g., range of frequencies from 20hertz to 20 kilohertz) used in audio signal processing, and so areinstead used in signal devices for processing higher radio frequencies.Accordingly, at this time class-C amplifiers are generally considered tobe incompatible with providing high quality, or even good, audio soundreproduction required by users of audio devices.

Class G amplifiers will improve the power efficiency of linearamplifiers by providing multiple stacked power supplies that theamplifier will jump between as the signal demands, thus reducing thepower dissipation in the amplifier at low signal levels. Class Hamplifiers will modulate the power supply feeding a linear amplifier.Class H are similar to Class G but using a continuously variable powersupply rather than a limited number of voltage steps. Class-G amplifierscan be incrementally more efficient than Class H at the expense ofsignificant power supply complexity often requiring the power supply tobe of Switch-mode type whereas Class-H systems can use linear powersupplies with multiple taps.

Class-D amplifiers are considered to have a high efficiency and performamplification with low distortion. The class-D amplifiers are typicallyavailable in sizes that allow them to be used in portable electronicdevices, unlike linear A/B and linear class-G and class-H typeamplifiers. The class-D amplifiers are pulse width modulator (PWM)amplifiers including two output-stage transistors, for example MOSFETs,that are in a push-pull arrangement and switch between on and off modesto significantly improve power efficiency. In order facilitate theamplification of the signal, the class-D amplifier converts the inputsignal to a pulse width modulated (PWM) square wave signal fluctuatingbetween maximum and minimum amplitudes. The output stage transistors inclass-D amplifiers are designed to operate at a fully saturatedoperating point or are off, and minimize a relatively inefficient lineartransition between these operating points. When in fully saturated modethe resistance of the output stage transistors is configured to be verylow and thereby minimize energy loss from resistance heating. Also,output-stage transistors can be selected to effectively eliminatecurrent flow when in the off mode to also minimize loss. Further, oncethe PWM signal is amplified, a low-pass filter (LPF) can be used toconvert the amplified PWM signal to an analog output signal to becompatible with a speaker system. Thus, high fidelity amplification andreasonably efficient operation can be gained by use of a Class-Damplifier.

However, although class-D amplifiers offer higher efficiencies than someother linear amplifier types (e.g. class-A, B, AB, G, H, etc.) and isregarded by most engineers as the pinnacle of efficiency in audioamplifier systems, higher levels of customer satisfaction will occur ifthe operation of the electronic device is extended between recharges orreplacements of the power source. Approaches discussed herein provideefficiency improvements to manage the root causes for inefficiencies inswitching amplifiers, which are also sometimes referred to as digitalamplifiers, pulse width modulation (PWM) amplifiers, pulse densitymodulation (PDM) amplifiers or other similar types of amplifiers. In oneexample, a switching amplifier is a class-D amplifier. A large portionof the inefficiencies found in class-D amplifier will occur due to“switching losses,” which are generated when the class-D amplifier'soutput-stage MOSFETs transition between an “on” and “off” state whenamplifying an audio input data signal. In fact, many Class-D amplifierswill be continuously switching the output stages at high frequencieseven when there is no output signal being reconstructed at the speaker.In particular, the inefficiencies will be large when the audio inputsignal is small and very little power is being delivered through thereconstruction low pass filter (LPF) to the speaker. Additionally,Class-D amplifiers are more complex than linear amplifiers and thereforhave a significant amount of circuitry needed to effectively convert thelinear input signal into a PWM modulated output signal. These signalprocessing circuits consume power parasitically, and that power isproportional to the power supply voltage applied to the circuit. Asillustrated in FIG. 5C, one can see that in a typical Class-D amplifier,the efficiency of the amplifier is poor when the output power leveldelivered to the speaker is small relative to the full-power capabilityof the circuit and the power supply voltage applied. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 5C, three curves 581, 582 and 583 are plotted forthree different full-power levels provided to a battery powered speakerassembly, such as a first power level (e.g., 6V), second power level(e.g., 12V) and third power level (e.g., 24V), respectively. Theinefficiency in each of speaker assemblies at low operating power levelscan be seen by the drop-off in each of these curves at the low outputpower levels. The inefficiency at low output power levels is generallydue to the parasitic losses in the class-D amplifier signal processingcircuits and the switching losses that are ever-present regardless ofoutput power being delivered to the speaker driver. These inefficienciesare exasperated when one considers that most music listening is done atmuch lower power levels than the full power capability of a system, andthat most musical content has crest factors (ratio of the peak signal toaverage signal of a typical time block of signal) of 4 or more. Thus, insome embodiments discussed herein to increase the efficiency of theaudio device, a power supplied through the power amplification circuitof the class-D amplifier is automatically adjusted to a level that isjust high enough to reliably produce a high quality sound by a speakerat that instant in time. The desired amount of power supply provided tothe power amplification circuit of the class-D amplifier is oftenreferred to herein as the variable rail voltage (VR). Also, in variousembodiments, the power provided through the power amplification circuitof the Class-D amplifiers is delivered such that it is sufficiently highto support amplification of the high amplitude peaks of the input audiodata signal to avoid distortion to the output signal by “clipping.”Clipping occurs when the power supply provided by the output amplifieris insufficient to meet the power level required by input signal, thusnot allowing the generated audio output to achieve its desired peaklevel. However, during time periods of the lower amplitude peaks, thevariable rail voltage VR is provided to be only at the necessary levelsrequired to amplify the lower amplitude peaks. The audio device andassociated methods described herein reduce the variable rail voltage VRapplied to a class-D amplifier during time periods of low amplitudewithin the input signal to provide in some cases, for example, athirty-five (35) percent improved power efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an audio delivery system 100,according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one example,the audio delivery system 100 may include an electronic device, such aselectronic device 102A. In general, the electronic device 102A can be acomputing device that can be used with other wireless or wiredelectronic devices. In one example, the electronic device 102A is ableto communicate with a similarly configured electronic device 102B over awireless communication links 140, such as communication links 142, 144.

During operation, when the electronic device 102A of the audio deliverysystem 100 is instructed to generate an audio signal 103 (e.g., acousticsignal), then an audio processing device 117 within the electronicdevice 102A receives electrical power 105 from a power source 130 and aninput signal 104 from a processor 118. The audio processing device 117of the electronic device 102A includes various features discussed belowto amplify the input signal 104 and produce the output signal 106 to bereceived by a speaker system 111. The speaker system 111 receives theoutput signal 106 and converts the output signal 106 to the audio signal103. In one embodiment, the input signal 104 may be produced byelectronic signals received though the communication links 142, 144,such as a Bluetooth signal emitted from a media content storage device,such as an iPhone. In another embodiment, the input signal 104 may beproduced by electronic signals stored within the electronic device 102A.In this case, the electronic signals may be stored as stored media data126 in a memory unit 122 of the electronic device 102A. In this manner,the electronic device 102A may provide the audio signal 103.

In general, an electronic device 102, such as electronic device 102A orelectronic device 102B as shown in FIG. 1, may be any technicallyfeasible electronic device that is configured to communicate and/orinteract with another electronic device. In general, the electronicdevice 102 can be any type of electronic device, such as a wirelessspeaker, PDA, cell phone (e.g., smart phone), a tablet computing device,laptop computer, an e-book reader, a portable music player, or othersimilar battery powered portable electronic device. Examples of theelectronic devices 102 may include, but are not limited to a Logitech®X300 Mobile Wireless Stereo Speaker, Logitech® X100 Mobile WirelessSpeaker, Logitech® portable speakerphone P710e, Logitech® Ultimate EarsBoom™, iPod®, iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone, Samsung phone, SamsungGalaxy®, Squeeze™ box, Microsoft Surface®, laptop or other similardevice. In practice, an electronic device 102 may be battery-operatedfrom a power source 130, although these devices may at one time oranother receive power from a wired connection to a wall outlet, wirelesscharger or other similar devices without deviating from the basic scopeof the disclosure provided herein. The power source 130 may be able toprovide a DC voltage that depends on the chemistry and number of cellsin the battery pack, such as between about 1.5 volts and about 24 volts.In one example, the power source 130 is able to provide a DC voltagethat is between about 1.5 volts and about 12 volts. In another example,the power source 130 is able to provide a DC voltage that is betweenabout 3 volts and about 12 volts. In general, an electronic device 102may comprise a device that efficiently amplifies a high fidelity theinput signal 104 to produce a high quality output signal 106. In thismanner, the output signal 106 may be received and converted by thespeaker system into the audio signal 103 that is enjoyed by a user.

The electronic device 102 may include electrical components that includea processor 118 coupled to input/output (I/O) devices 116, the powersource 130, and a memory unit 122. Memory unit 122 may include one ormore software applications 124. The memory unit 122 may also includestored media data 126 having the audio signal data. The processor 118may be a hardware unit or combination of hardware units capable ofexecuting software applications and processing data. In someconfigurations, the processor 118 includes a central processing unit(CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), and/or a combination of such units. Theprocessor 118 is generally configured to execute the one or moresoftware applications 124 and process the stored media data 126, whichmay be each included within the memory unit 122.

The I/O devices 116 are coupled to memory unit 122 and processor 118,and may include devices capable of receiving input and/or devicescapable of providing output. The I/O devices 116 include the audioprocessing device 117 which receives the battery power 105 and an inputsignal 104, and produces the output signal 106 which may be received bythe speaker system 111. The audio processing device 117 amplifies theinput signal 104, having the audio signal data V_(IN), to produce theoutput signal 106 having the output voltage V_(OUT). The audioprocessing device 117 generally includes several features, discussedlater, which efficiently produce a high fidelity amplification of theinput signal 104 and thereby extend an operation time of the audiodelivery system 100 before a recharge or replacement of the power source130 is required to continue operation of the audio delivery system 100.

The I/O devices 116 also include one or more wireless transceivers 120that are configured to establish one or more different types of wired orwireless communication links with other transceivers residing withinother computing devices, such as a transceiver within the I/O devices116 of another electronic device. A given transceiver within the I/Odevices 116 could establish, for example, a Wi-Fi communication link,near field communication (NFC) link or a Bluetooth® communication link(e.g., BTLE, Bluetooth classic), among other types of communicationlinks with similar components in the electronic component 102B.

The memory unit 122 may be any technically feasible type of hardwareunit configured to store data. For example, the memory unit 122 could bea hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) module, a flash memory unit,or a combination of different hardware units configured to store data.The software application 124, which is stored within the memory unit122, includes program code that may be executed by processor 118 inorder to perform various functionalities associated with the electronicdevice 102.

The stored media data 126 may include any type of information thatrelates to a desired control parameter, user data, electronic deviceconfiguration data, device control rules or other useful information,which are discussed further below. The stored media data 126 may includeinformation that is delivered to and/or received from another electronicdevice, such as the input signal 104. The stored media data 126 mayreflect various data files, settings and/or parameters associated withthe environment, device control rules and/or desired behavior of theelectronic devices 102A, 102B.

Electronic Device Configuration Examples

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of an audio processing device 117, whichis formed within the I/O devices 116. The audio processing device 117generates the output signal 106 by amplifying the input signal 104received from the processor 118 and using the battery power 105 from thepower source 130. The processor 118 may be included in some embodimentsas part of, for example, an audio system-on-chip (SoC) solution withdual mode Bluetooth connectivity. The audio processing device 117includes a signal amplifier 200, a signal delay element 201, an envelopedetector 202, and a switch mode power supply 203. In some embodiments,the envelope detector 202 may comprise a digital signal processor. In aneffort to illustrate the operation of the audio processing device 117,various input signals that are received by the audio processing device117 and output signals that are generated by the audio processing device117 are discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B. FIG. 3depicts a graph 300 depicting an exemplary input signal 104 as afunction of time. FIG. 4A is a graph 400 of a portion of the inputsignal of FIG. 3 depicting exemplary characteristics of the input signal104 in relation to a predetermined lag time D. FIG. 4B is a graphdepicting the variable rail voltage VR superimposed proportionally onthe output signal 106 (e.g., audio signal data V_(OUT)). While thesignal amplitudes illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B are similar, one willappreciate that the input and output voltages (Y-axis) shown in FIGS. 4Aand 4B, respectively, are typically not the same, since the input signallevel is generally less than the output signal level due to the gainprovided to the output signal by the signal amplifier 200.

In some embodiments, during operation, the audio processing device 117receives an input signal that includes audio signal data and the audioprocessing device 117 delivers an output signal having an output voltageamplified relative to the input signal based on the gain of the signalamplifier 200 of the audio processing device 117. Desirably, the outputsignal is a precise amplified representation of the input signal whichhas been efficiently produced by the audio processing device 117 usingelectrical power from the power source 130. The signal amplifier 200 ofthe audio device produces the output signal using the input signal and avariable rail voltage VR provided by the power supply 203, or alsoreferred to herein as the switch mode power supply (SMPS) 203. In someembodiments, the signal amplifier 200, or also referred to herein as thepower amplifier, is a switching-type amplifier or switching amplifier.In general, the signal amplifier 200 operates most efficiently when thevariable rail voltage VR is just high enough to support the highfidelity amplification of the input signal. As noted above, excesslevels of the variable rail voltage cause inefficiencies, and thus powerloss in the form of heat at the signal amplifier 200. By use of thesignal delay element 201 in combination with the envelope detector 202,an input signal may be delayed until a predetermined lag time haselapsed. This delay enables the audio signal data to be analyzed by theenvelope detector 202 in order to determine at least one characteristicof the input signal before the portion of the delayed input signalreaches the signal amplifier 200. In this manner, the envelope detector202 may provide a power instruction signal to the SMPS 203 based on theat least one characteristic of the input signal. Upon receiving thepower instruction signal, the SMPS 203 provides the variable railvoltage VR to the signal amplifier 200 that is consistent with theefficient and high-fidelity operation of the signal amplifier 200. It isnoted that the gain of the signal amplifier 200 should be agnostic tochanges in the variable rail voltage VR as provided by the SMPS 203.This agnostic attribute is referred to as “power supply rejection” andis common in “feedback error correction” style amplifiers.

In order to provide sufficient time to analyze the input signal 104, sothat an appropriate variable rail voltage VR can be determined andprovided to the signal amplifier 200, the signal delay element 201receives the input signal 104 and produces the delayed input signal 204Dincluding the delayed audio signal data V_(IND)). The signal delayelement 201 may comprise, for example, a digitally-controlled delayelement (DCDE) that can provide the delayed audio signal data after apredetermined lag time that is greater than zero seconds, such as in arange from one (1) microsecond (μs) to three-hundred (300) milliseconds(ms). The length of the delay may be designed to be long enough to allowthe SMPS 203 sufficient time to adjust to different voltage levels asinstructed by the envelope detector 202. Alternatively, the length ofthe delay may be determined to provide a sufficient time window for ablock of data to be received from the input signal as part of a “lookahead” analysis that may be utilized to determine characteristics of theinput signal which may be useful to optimize the variable rail voltageVR. The predetermined lag time D (FIG. 4A) enables the input signal 104to be analyzed so that a tracking signal 205, which has a variable railvoltage VR, can be determined and created prior to amplification by thesignal amplifier 200. The tracking signal 205 is precisely adjusted bythe SMPS 203, based on a power instruction signal SP received from theenvelope detector 202, to provide efficient operation of the signalamplifier 200. After receiving the delayed input signal 204 from thesignal delay element 201, the signal amplifier 200 amplifies the delayedinput signal 204 using a set amplifier gain to produce the output signal106. The signal amplifier 200 may comprise, for example, a class-Dsignal amplifier providing opportunities to reduce power consumptionduring time periods of lower peak amplitudes of the input audio signaldata by adjusting the variable rail voltage VR.

In some configurations, a lower and upper limit may be established forVR based the lower and upper limits required by the amplifier 200. Anexample may be an amplifier that cannot operate below 4 volts or itshuts down, or above 24 volts or it is damaged.

It is noted that the audio processing device 117 depicted in FIG. 2 maybe easily modified in other embodiments to accommodate multiple signalchannels (e.g. right and left channels). In these other embodiments, theSMPS 203 may provide variable rail voltages VR respectively to multiplesignal amplifiers (not shown) which are dedicated to right and leftchannels derived from the input signal 104. These variable rail voltagesmay be optimized independently for the right and left channels. In thismanner, additional efficiency may be achieved in some cases. In someembodiments of the audio delivery system 100 there may be additionalchannels than merely the right and left channels. One example of anadditional channel is a subwoofer channel. Additional channels may beassociated with respective rail voltages which may be optimized toprovide higher efficiencies.

As noted above, FIG. 3 depicts a time graph 300 depicting an exemplaryinput signal 104 as a function of time. The audio signal data V_(IN) ofthe input signal 104 may include a plurality of amplitudes, includingpeaks 301. The varying amplitude of the input signal 104 (FIG. 4A) maybe amplified to generate an output signal 106 (FIG. 4B) having an outputvoltage V_(OUT) proportional to the audio signal data V_(IN) of theinput signal 104. Accordingly, consistent with FIG. 4B, the variablerail voltage VR can to be modulated commensurate with changes in thevoltage amplitude of the audio input data V_(IN) to achieve higherefficiencies. Accordingly, energy from the power source 130 (FIG. 1)would be consumed at a reduced rate to extend the operation time of theaudio delivery system 100 before the power source 130 would have to berecharged, replaced, or supplemented by an alternative power source (notshown, for example a wall socket).

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the audio processing device 117 maybe limited to amplifying the peaks 301 of the audio signal data V_(IN)up to a maximum voltage V_(MAX). The maximum voltage V_(MAX) may or maynot be based on the volume limits of the speaker system 111 orelectronic limits of the components of the audio processing device 117.The audio processing device 117 may provide high fidelity amplificationas long as the peaks 301 of the audio signal data V_(IN) do not exceedthe maximum threshold V_(MAX), otherwise the amplitude of the peaks 301in excess of the maximum voltage V_(MAX) may be cutoff and thus be heardas distortions in the audio output received by the user due to thereplacement of the desired speaker output with the maximum voltageV_(MAX). Conventional audio devices generally use a single constantvariable rail voltage VR setting, which is set to the maximum voltageV_(MAX) level, to deliver an audio output signal 106. However, as notedabove, a constant variable rail voltage VR setting can undesirablyreduce the time of operation of the audio delivery system 100 until arecharge or replacement of the powers source 130 is required, due to theinefficiencies generated in the power amplification circuit during thetransitions between the “on” and “off” states of output-stagetransistors when using a switching amplifier and parasitic powerconsumption of the signal processing elements, such as a class-Damplifier.

The audio processing device 117 may also include a capability ofdetecting a nominal voltage V_(NOM), based on a characterization of theaudio signal data V_(IN). The audio processing device 117 may also beconfigured to determine if at least one characteristic of the audiosignal data V_(IN) is within a range V_(DELTA) between the maximumvoltage V_(MAX) and the nominal voltage V_(NOM).

As noted above, FIG. 4A is a graph 400 of a portion of the input signalof FIG. 3 depicting exemplary characteristics of the input signal 104 inrelation to a predetermined lag time D. As depicted in FIG. 4A, theaudio signal data V_(IN) includes peaks 401, 402 separated by the timeT_(BEAT), which may be the beat or tempo of the audio signal dataV_(IN). The predetermined lag time D may be selected to be less than thetime T_(BEAT) in order to simplify an analysis of the audio signal dataV_(IN) to amplitudes likely associated with a single large or highamplitude peak. The audio processing device 117 determines whetheramplitudes V1, V2 of the peaks 401, 402 of the audio signal data V_(IN)are disposed between the nominal voltage V_(NOM) and the maximum voltageV_(MAX), and then adjusts the variable rail voltage VR to improveefficiency of the signal amplifier 200. When the amplitude of the audiosignal data V_(IN) is less than a value associated with the nominalvoltage V_(NOM), then the variable rail voltage VR may be set to a valueconsistent with V_(NOM). The constant value of V_(NOM) may be set toreduce changes to the variable rail voltage VR related to noise and/ormay be the minimum value of the variable rail voltage VR to enable thesignal amplifier 200 to operate.

As noted above, FIG. 4B is a graph depicting the variable rail voltageVR superimposed proportionally relative to the output signal 106 (e.g.,audio signal data V_(OUT)). To minimize the potential for spurious noiseto be introduced into the system due to large swings in VR, a ramp upand down algorithm may be used. A ramp and decay of VR will reduce thesystem efficiency since they will not allow VR to precisely trackV_(OUT). The specific engineering implementation of the circuit willdetermine the trade-off of system transient noise, ramp values, andefficiency. In one example, the slow-decay algorithm may include anexponential decay algorithm. However, other slow-decay algorithms mayalso be used, for example, linear, logarithmic, and/or quadraticalgorithms. The variable rail voltage VR generally follows thecharacteristics of the audio signal data V_(IN) and exceeds the requiredvoltage level to deliver a desired audio signal data V_(OUT) by a bufferlevel V_(G). The buffer level V_(G) helps ensure that the signalamplifier 200 has an adequate level of variable rail voltage VR to avoidfidelity issues associated with clipping the peaks 401, 402, but alsodoes not unnecessarily consume a large amount of power due to theinefficiencies created in the signal amplifier 200 by providing too higha variable rail voltage VR. In some configurations, the delay time isdetermined by the reaction time of the SMPS 203. For example, if ittakes the SMPS 20 ms to change from the lowest VR to the highest VR,then our delay must be at least 20 ms to allow time for the SMPS toprovide the VR voltage required to not clip the output signal.

In the close-up of FIG. 4B the set-points 450A, 450B, 450C of thevariable rail voltage VR are respectively followed by decays 451A, 451B,451C. In this manner, excess amounts of the variable rail voltage VR maybe reduced after a peak value related variable rail voltage VR set-pointhave been delivered by the signal amplifier 200 to improve itsefficiency when delivering the smaller amount of power required toproduce the output signal 106 after the peak value was reached.

In some configurations, the audio delivery device 100 may include anaudio processing device 117 that is adapted to provide different (or“asymmetric”) rates of increase and decrease of the variable railvoltage VR between different variable rail voltage set-points (e.g.,450A, 450B, 450C in FIG. 4B) to improve efficiency of the amplificationof the input signal yet reduce audible distortions in the audio signal103 as perceived by the user. For example, the envelope detector 202 mayinstruct the switch mode power supply 203 to rapidly increase (in anapproach called “fast attack”) the variable rail voltage when a maximumamplitude of a portion of an input signal, as detected during thepredetermined lag time, is determined to require a variable rail voltageVR level that is greater than what was previously being provided by theSMPS 203. If the increase in variable rail voltage VR is too slow,insufficient amplification may occur because the variable rail voltageVR setting may not be high enough to prevent clipping or otherdistortions of the output signal. In contrast, the variable rail voltageVR may be more slowly decreased from a variable rail voltage VRset-point in situations when the maximum amplitude of an amplified inputsignal is determined to be significantly lower than the set variablerail voltage VR level (e.g., amplified input signal <(VR−V_(G))). Inthis case, use of the previous set variable rail voltage VR level wouldinefficiently deliver an output signal based on the current maximumamplitude of the input signal. In other words, the inefficientamplification may occur when the variable rail voltage VR is calculatedto exceed an amount associated with a maximum amplified amplitude of theoutput signal V_(out) plus the buffer level V_(G). As noted above, inone example, the slow decrease in the variable rail voltage VR is shownas the decays 451A, 451B, 451C in FIG. 4B. The exponential decay of thevariable rail voltage may be determined to decrease at a slower ratethan the rate that the variable rail voltage VR increases to achieve alevel that will assure that the input signal is desirably amplified.Therefore, the audio delivery device 100 can ensure that when amplifyingdynamic and difficult to predict input signals that unwanted distortioncan be prevented.

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of a portion of the signal amplifier 200that includes various components used to amplify the delayed inputsignal 204 received from the signal delay element 201. As noted above,in some embodiments, the signal amplifier 200 may be a class-D signalamplifier. The signal amplifier 200 may include a pulse width modulator(PWM) controller 500, two metal-oxide semiconductor field effecttransistors (MOSFETs) 502A, 502B, a low-pass filter 504, and an optionalinterface 505 for coupling to a speaker system 111. The PWM controller500 converts the delayed input signal 204 into a pulse width modulated(PWM) signal 501 by comparing the delayed input signal 204 to a highfrequency sawtooth or triangle waveform produced by a signal generator(not shown) of the PWM element 500. In some configurations, the signalamplifier 200 is a feedback type amplifier that uses a signal detectedat a node within the circuit used to deliver the pre-filtered outputsignal 503 or a circuit within the low pass filter 504 to control theoutput of the PWM controller 500. The PWM signal 501 from the PWMcontroller 500 is transferred as inputs to electronic gates of MOSFETs502A, 502B which receive the PWM signal 501 and are thereby driven bythe PWM controller 500. The sources and drains of the MOSFETs 502A, 502Bare coupled in series and are collectively supplied with the variablerail voltage VR from the SMPS 203 (FIG. 2) to create a pre-filteredoutput signal 503. In this manner, the pre-filtered output signal 503 isan amplified version of the PWM signal 501. The PMW signal 501 switchesthe MOSFETs 502A, 502B between on and off modes to facilitate theamplification of the PWM signal 501 and producing a pre-filtered outputsignal 503. Then, a low pass filter 504 within the signal amplifier 200may be used to filter out the PWM carrier frequency from thepre-filtered output signal 503 and thereby provide the output signal 106at the output voltage V_(OUT) to the interface 505, which is coupled tothe speaker system 111. In this manner, the delayed input signal 204 maybe amplified efficiently with high fidelity according to the variablerail voltage VR which has been optimized based on a “look ahead”analysis of the input signal 104 which is facilitated by delaying theinput signal 104 by the predetermined lag time D.

In some configurations, the signal amplifier 200 may include a bridgedpair of amplifiers that each feed one side of the speaker driver, and inthis case each receive an input (V_(IND)) that is the inverse of theothers input.

In some configurations, changes in the variable rail voltage VR of thesignal amplifier 200 can impact the performance of the amplifier 200,and thus the magnitude of the variable rail voltage VR needs to beconsidered, so that the received input signal can be desirablyamplified. In cases where the amplifier 200 comprises a D-typeamplifier, the gain of the amplifier 200 is affected by changes in thevariable rail voltage VR supplied to the amplifier 200. This is becausethe process of generating the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal thatis delivered to an output filter, which is disposed within the D-typeamplifier, is affected by the changing of the variable rail voltage VR.As a result, the changes to the variable rail voltage VR may becompensated for by using a closed loop feedback of the variable railvoltage VR supplied by the SMPS 203, so that the voltage V_(OUT) of theoutput signal 106 is linearly proportional to a fixed gain applied tothe associated delayed audio signal data V_(IND)). In this manner, thegain of the amplifier 200 may be protected against changes in thevariable rail voltage VR.

As to efficiency, the efficiency of the signal amplifier 200 duringoperation largely depends on the power lost by the MOSFETs 502A, 5026,which are powered by the variable rail voltage VR. As discussed above,the MOSFETs 502A, 502B switch between “on” and “off” modes to facilitatethe amplification process. As the MOSFETs 502A, 502B transition between“on” and “off” modes, the MOSFETs 502A, 502B respectively alternativebetween cutoff and saturated conditions. While in the cutoff condition,the resistances between the drains and the sources of the MOSFETs 502A,502B are extremely high, for example several megaohms, and accordinglyare effectively disconnected and prevent appreciable current frompassing through the MOSFETs 502A, 502B. While in the saturatedcondition, the resistances between the drains and the sources of theMOSFETs 502A, 502B are extremely low, for example a few milliohms, andeffectively create an electrical short.

Consistent with this operation, inefficiency in the form of resistanceheating and power loss occur in the MOSFETs 502A, 502B due to two maincauses. The first cause is resistance heating generated between thedrain and source of the MOSFETs 502A, 502B, when the MOSFETs 502A, 502Bare respectively turned on and are in a saturated condition. SelectingMOSFETs 502A, 502B having low resistance characteristics when in thesaturated region of operation can reduce this first cause ofinefficiency. The second cause of inefficiency is related to the powerlost as the MOSFETs 502A, 502B transition between the “off” and “on”modes. It is believed that during the rise time and fall time betweenthe “off” and “on” modes the MOSFETs are in a linear region ofoperation, where they have an electrical resistance that then wastespower as heat. The rise and fall time is shorter when the voltage spreadthe MOSFETs have to traverse is smaller. Thus, when the rise and falltime is shorter, then there is less time spent in this inefficientlinear state, and the amount of inefficiency is reduced, as provided byone or more of the embodiments of the disclosure provided herein.

FIG. 5B is a graph 510 of efficiency of the switching signal amplifier200 of FIG. 5A as a function of load power of the speaker system 111.The graph includes one curve illustrating an exemplary higher value ofthe variable rail voltage VR_HIGH and a second curve for an exemplarylower value of the variable rail voltage VR_LOW. Exemplary values of theloads LP1, LP2 are also depicted to help illustrate the efficiency andpower savings benefits of changing the variable rail voltage betweenmultiple discrete variable rail voltage VR levels, as will be furtherdiscussed below. In the case of the load LP1. the efficiency benefits ofchanging the variable rail voltage VR to either one of the variable railvoltages VR_LOW or VR_HIGH signals, which is provided to the switchingsignal amplifier 200, is illustrated. However, as shown, the signalamplifier 200 can support exemplary load LP1 more efficiently when usingthe variable rail voltage VR_LOW as opposed to the variable rail voltageVR_HIGH. As depicted in the graph of FIG. 5B, the differences inefficiencies may be close to 50 percent when the VR_HIGH level of thevariable rail voltage VR is used and almost 100 percent when thevariable rail voltage VR_LOW (e.g., VR equals V_(OUT) plus V_(G)) isapplied. This efficiency loss is represented by the losses at theMOSFETs 502A, 502B as discussed above. In contrast, when an exemplaryload LP2, which is higher than load LP1, is needed by the speaker system111, then the variable rail voltage VR_LOW provided to the signalamplifier 200 may be insufficient to enable the amplification of theinput signal (e.g., audio signal 103), and thus “clip” the output signal106. The higher load LP2 may be associated with higher amplitudesappearing in the input signal that need to be amplified. In the higherload LP2 situation, the envelope detector 203 may instruct the switchmode power supply 203 to provide the variable rail voltage VR_HIGH tofacilitate sufficient amplification of the input signal. In this manner,there is a benefit to increasing the variable rail voltage in order tofacilitate sufficient amplification in situations of higher loads fromthe speaker system 111 requiring power, yet there is also an efficiencybenefit to decreasing the variable rail voltage VR in situations oflower loads from the speaker system 111 as represented by the load LP1.

The determination of the variable rail voltage VR to provide efficientoperation of the signal amplifier 200 is accomplished with the envelopedetector 202. In general, the envelope detector 202 is configured toreceive an input signal 104 and output a power instruction signal SP,which is received by the SMPS 203. In some embodiments, the envelopedetector 202 is configured to provide the power instruction signal SPthat includes a fixed set of multiple discrete signal levels, such thatthe generated variable rail voltage VR provided by the SMPS 203 includesa set of corresponding discrete variable rail voltage VR levels that areformed between the minimum and maximum output of the amplifier (e.g.,V_(DELTA) in FIG. 3). The discrete variable rail voltage VR levels maybe formed by equally dividing up the range between the minimum andmaximum output of the amplifier. In one example, the envelope detector202 is configured to select one of at least two predetermined levels ofoutput, which is used to generate a corresponding variable rail voltageVR level that is between the minimum and maximum output of theamplifier. In another example, the envelope detector 202 is configuredto select one of at least three or more predetermined levels of output,such as sixteen (16) or thirty-two (32) predetermined levels of output,which is used to generate a corresponding variable rail voltage VR levelthat is between the minimum and maximum output of the amplifier.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of envelope detector 202A which isanother embodiment of the envelope detector 202 of FIG. 2 with twochannels. The envelope detector 202A receives the input signal 104including right and left channels 104A, 104B and outputs a powerinstruction signal SP including right and left channels SP_R, SPLrespectively to be received by the SMPS 203. In this regard, theenvelope detector 202A may receive two channels 104A, 104B of the inputsignal 104 from the processor 118 at analog to digital converters 708A,708B to produce digital signal representations of the two channels 104A,104B. The digital representations may be received at absolute valueelements 701A, 701B to produce absolute value signals 702A, 702B. Theoperations depicted in FIG. 6 downstream of the absolute value elements701A, 701B may be parallel or may converge and be sequential dependingon a complexity (e.g. cost) and efficiency tradeoff where the parallelpath may be more expensive and complex, but may generate higherefficiency in some cases, because the right and left channels areindependently optimized for the variable rail voltage. In the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 6, the envelope detector 202A may include a peakdetector 703, which determines a largest peak value 704 from thereceived absolute value signals 702A, 702B (e.g., left and right channelsignals) during the predetermined lag time D and outputs the largestpeak value 704 to a decay calculation unit 705. The delay calculationunit 705 applies an exponential decay to the largest peak value 704 at adesired time to produce a decayed peak value 706, which is proportionalto the largest peak value 704. The decayed peak value 706 is multipliedby a gain G at gain amplifier 707, so the decayed peak value 706 isscaled in relation to the amplifier gain so that a peak value isassociated with the maximum voltage V_(MAX) (see FIG. 4B). Then, theresulting signal Ve is used as an index for look-up tables 709A, 709Bholding the PDM (pulse density modulation) bit patterns (e.g., 16 bit)for the right and left channels. The PDM patterns in the look-up tables709A, 709B may comprise, for example, thirty-two (32) entries that areeach 16 bits wide. The thirty-two (32) entries may be associated withthirty-two (32) levels of the rail voltage VR which the envelopedetector 202A may utilize to instruct the SMPS 203 to generate using thepower instruction signal SP.

In other embodiments, more or less entries may be used according to thecomplexity and efficiency requirements of the audio delivery system 100,but at least two entries are expected. The PDM patterns may be selectedto partially randomize the sequence or selections of the bits utilizedin the PDM patterns. This partial randomization of the bits may minimizedistortions from occurring during communication of the PDM patternswhich may occur, for example, when consecutive bit types are repeated.In one example, the partial randomization may be incorporated byaccessing multiple PDM patterns which may be alternatively be selectedto better randomize the PDM patterns associated with the resultingsignal Ve to minimize distortions associated with consecutive bit types.Further, once created, the PDM patterns are directed to output ports710A, 710B of the envelope detector 202A by way through RC filters 711A,711B to create an average signal based upon the number of bits occurringin the PDM pattern for the cycle. The larger the number of bits in acycle, then a higher value of the average signal is created. The highestaverage signal occurs when thirty-two (32) bits are incorporated. Theoutput ports 710A, 710B are coupled to the SMPS 203 to modulate thevariable rail voltage VR (FIG. 2) using the instruction signals SP_L,SP_R depicted collectively in FIG. 2 as instruction signal SP. In thismanner, the SMPS 203 may be instructed to provide the variable railvoltage VR for efficient operation of the signal amplifier 200.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of envelope detector 202B which isyet another embodiment of the envelope detector 202 of FIG. 2. Theenvelope detector 202B is similar to the envelope detector 202A of FIG.6, and so the main differences will be discussed in the interest ofclarity and conciseness. In this regard, the resulting signal Ve whichis output from the gain amplifier 707 of the envelope detector 202B isreceived a digital to analog converter 720. The digital to analogconverter 720 is coupled to the SMPS 203 to modulate the variable railvoltage VR (FIG. 2) using the instruction signals SP_L, SP_R depictedcollectively in FIG. 2 as the power instruction signal SP. The advantageof the digital to analog converter 720 approach in FIG. 7 over theapproach depicted in FIG. 6 is that the envelope detector 202B shown inFIG. 7 does not require the added complexity of the PDM look-up tables709A, 709B or of the RC filters 711A, 711B for determining an averagesignal when generating the power instruction signals SP_L, SP_R that issent to the SMPS 203. In this manner, the power instruction signal SPmay be more efficiently generated to control the SMPS 203. In someembodiments, power instruction signals may be formed and/or controlledby techniques other than the PDM techniques discussed above. In someconfigurations, the power instruction signals may be formed and/orcontrolled by use of a DAC or other hardware configuration that uses anamplitude modulation (AM) processing technique.

FIG. 8 is schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of theswitch mode power supply (SMPS) 203 of FIG. 2. In one embodiment theSMPS 203 is a DC-to-DC power converter generating the variable railvoltage VR greater than the battery voltage V_(BAT) from the powersupply 130 (FIG. 1). The SMPS 203 comprises a DC-boost controller 800, aMOSFET 801, a Schottky diode 802, an inductor 803, an output bulkcapacitance 804, and resistors 805A, 805B arranged in series. TheDC-boost controller 800 creates the variable rail voltage VR for thesignal amplifier 200 based on the power instruction signal SP receivedfrom the envelope detector 202 through a resistor RC. In this regard,the DC-boost controller 800 directs the MOSFET 801 between on and offstates at a frequency to generate and maintain the variable rail voltageVR while maintaining acceptable levels of electrical current. Thefrequency may be, for example, in a range from one-hundred (100)kilohertz to ten (10) megahertz. In some configurations, the DC-boostcontroller 800 includes an external network for determining andregulating the DC output voltage. In this configuration, the signal SPis typically summed into the external network such that the signal SPalters the control voltage, and in turn changes the output voltage in apredictable and controlled manner. When the MOSFET 801 operates in the“on” state, the power supply 130 supplies current through the inductor803 and the MOSFET 801. Current increases based on operatingcharacteristics of the inductor 803 and thereby energy is stored in theinductor 803. When the current in the MOSFET 801 and the inductor 803reach a current limit as determined by feedback provided to the DC-boostcontroller 800, then the MOSFET 801 is switched to the “off” state. Thisfeedback may be a feedback voltage VF created between the resistors805A, 805B arranged in series, wherein the resistors 805A, 805B arecoupled in parallel to the variable rail voltage VR. When the MOSFET 801is turned to the “off” state, then the energy accumulated in theinductor 803 is discharged as current directed through the Schottkydiode 802 and to the output bulk capacitance 804. Consistent with thisapproach, the DC-boost controller 800 may utilize a pulse widthmodulation (PWM) approach to control electrical current in the inductor803, based on the feedback voltage VF, and therefore regulate thevariable rail voltage VR provided to the signal amplifier 200 for thecontrolled and efficient operation and high-fidelity amplification ofthe input signal 104 by the signal amplifier 200.

Now that the audio processing device 117 of the audio delivery system100 has been introduced, an exemplary method 900 for providing theoutput signal 106 with the audio processing device 117 is now disclosed.FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the exemplary method 900 and is discussed usingthe terminology developed above. The method 900 includes delaying, withthe signal delay element 201, the received input signal 104 thatincludes the audio signal data V_(IN) to produce the delayed inputsignal 204 after the predetermined lag time D has elapsed (operation902A of FIG. 9). The method 900 also includes providing the powerinstruction signal SP, using the envelope detector 202, based on the atleast one characteristic 401, 402 of the received input signal 104during the predetermined lag time D (operation 902B of FIG. 9). Themethod 900 also includes providing, with a switch mode power supply 203,the variable rail voltage VR based on a battery voltage and the powerinstruction signal SP (operation 902C of FIG. 9). The method 900 alsoincludes producing, with the signal amplifier 200, the output signal 106having the output voltage V_(OUT) based on the delayed input signal 204,the gain of the signal amplifier 200, and the received variable railvoltage VR (operation 902D of FIG. 9). The method 900 may includeproviding the output signal 106 to the interface 505 configured to becoupled to the speaker system 111 which may convert the output signal106 to the audio signal 103 (operation 902E of FIG. 9). In this manner,the output signal 106 may be amplified from the input signal 104 withhigh fidelity and desired power efficiency to prolong the operation ofthe audio delivery device 100 before recharging or replacing the powersource 130.

In another embodiment, a method 1000 is also disclosed that might beused by the envelope detector 202 as an algorithm for determining thepower instruction signal SP. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the method 1000and is discussed using the terminology developed above. The method 1000includes repeating a set of operations to continuously update the powerinstruction signal SP. The method 1000 includes loading the previouspeak value of the amplitude of the input signal 104 (operation 1002A ofFIG. 10). The previous peak amplitude is determined during a previouspredetermined lag time and may be found within a frame that containssamples of the input signal 104. The method 1000 also includesdetermining whether there is additional input signal data available forthe current frame of samples (operation 1002B of FIG. 10) of the inputsignal 104. If not, then the method ends (operation 1002J of FIG. 10),otherwise the method 1000 proceeds to comparing and selecting absolutevalues of the peak amplitudes of the left and right channels of theaudio signal found within the current frame (operation 1002C of FIG.10). The method 1000 also includes determining the peak signal envelopefor the right and left channels by applying the fast attack and theslow-decay algorithm to the peak absolute amplitudes of the left andright channels of the audio signal (operation 1002D of FIG. 10). Themethod 1000 also includes determining the boost voltage for the rightand left channels to be generated by the SMPS 203 by subtracting thebattery voltage V_(BAT) from the peak signal envelope for the right andleft channels (operation 1002E of FIG. 10). The method 1000 alsoincludes multiplying the boost voltage for the right and left channelsby the DAC gain and the switching signal amplifier gain to determine theamplified boost voltage for the right and left channels (operation 1002Fof FIG. 10). The method 1000 also includes determining, with look-uptables, PDM codes corresponding to the multi-bit integers for the rightand left channels (operation 1002G of FIG. 10). The method 1000 alsoincludes saving the PDM codes for the right and left channels to abuffer for output to the SMPS 203 (operation 1002H of FIG. 10). In thismanner, the envelope detector 202 may determine the power instructionsignal SP for the SMPS 203 to provide the variable rail voltage VR forimproved efficiency of the signal amplifier 200.

One embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented as a program productfor use with a computer system. The program(s) of the program productdefine functions of the embodiments (including the methods describedherein) and can be contained on a variety of computer-readable storagemedia. Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are notlimited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memorydevices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROMdrive, flash memory, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatilesemiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and(ii) writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette driveor hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-accesssemiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored.

The invention has been described above with reference to specificembodiments. Persons skilled in the art, however, will understand thatvarious modifications and changes may be made thereto without departingfrom the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims. The foregoing description and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

What is claimed is:
 1. An audio device, comprising: an envelope detectorconfigured to receive an input signal that includes audio signal datadistributed over a first time period, and produce a power instructionsignal based on at least one characteristic of the input signal detectedwithin the time period; a power supply providing a battery voltage; aswitch mode power supply configured to generate a variable rail voltage,wherein the generated variable rail voltage is based on the batteryvoltage and the power instruction signal received from the envelopedetector during the first time period; and a switching signal amplifierconfigured to receive the input signal, and produce an output signalthat is based on the received input signal and a gain of the switchingsignal amplifier, wherein the output signal comprises a plurality ofpeak output voltages formed at different times within a second timeperiod, and wherein a difference between a generated variable railvoltage and a magnitude of the peak output voltage is equal to or withina fixed buffer level at each of the different times.
 2. The audio deviceof claim 1, further comprising: a signal delay element configured toreceive the input signal and produce a delayed input signal, whichincludes the audio signal data, after a predetermined lag time haselapsed, and wherein the input signal received by the switching signalamplifier comprises the delayed input signal.
 3. The audio device ofclaim 2, wherein the predetermined lag time is in a range from 1microsecond to 300 milliseconds.
 4. The audio device of claim 2, whereinthe envelope detector comprises a digital signal processor (DSP) module.5. The audio device of claim 4, wherein the signal delay element is adigital signal delay element that is formed within the digital signalprocessor (DSP) module.
 6. The audio device of claim 4, wherein thepredetermined lag time is equal to or greater than an input signalsampling rate performed by the digital signal processor (DSP) module. 7.The audio device of claim 1, wherein the switching signal amplifiercomprises a class-D signal amplifier.
 8. The audio device of claim 1,wherein the envelope detector is further configured to: detect aplurality of local amplitude peaks associated with the input signal,wherein the plurality of local amplitude peaks comprise a first localamplitude peak and a second local amplitude peak, and the first localamplitude peak occurs before the second local amplitude peak in time,and vary the produced power instruction signal using a decay algorithmwhen a magnitude of the first local amplitude peak is greater than amagnitude of the second local amplitude peak.
 9. The audio device ofclaim 8, wherein the envelope detector is further configured to vary thepower instruction signal using a fast attack algorithm when a magnitudeof the first local amplitude peak is less than a magnitude of the secondlocal amplitude peak.
 10. The audio device of claim 8, wherein thevaried power instruction signal formed by the decay algorithm comprisesan exponential decay.
 11. The audio device of claim 8, wherein theswitch mode power supply generates an adjustable incremental voltage sothat the rail voltage is a sum of the adjustable incremental voltage anda voltage of the battery output voltage.
 12. A method of conservingpower in an audio device, comprising: receiving, by a digital signalprocessor, an input signal that includes audio signal data distributedover a first time period; generating a power instruction signal, usingan envelope detector within the digital signal processor, that is basedon at least one characteristic of the received input signal detectedwithin the first time period; delivering, from a switch mode powersupply, a variable rail voltage signal to a switching amplifier, whereinthe variable rail voltage signal is derived from a voltage received froma battery and the generated power instruction signal; and generating,with a switching signal amplifier, an output signal having an outputvoltage based on the input signal and a gain of the switching signalamplifier, wherein the output signal comprises a plurality of peakoutput voltages formed at different times within a second time period,wherein a difference between a generated variable rail voltage and amagnitude of the peak output voltage is equal to or within a fixedbuffer level at each of the different times.
 13. The method of claim 12,further comprising: delaying the input signal provided to the switchingsignal amplifier a predetermined lag time, wherein the generated outputsignal is based on the delayed input signal.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the predetermined lag time is in a range from 1 microsecond to300 milliseconds.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second timeperiod is shifted in time relative to the first period of time at leastan amount equal to the predetermined lag time.
 16. The method of claim13, wherein the delayed input signal is performed by a digital signalprocessor (DSP) module, wherein the predetermined lag time is equal toor greater than an input signal sampling rate performed by the digitalsignal processor (DSP) module.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein theswitching signal amplifier comprises a class-D signal amplifier.
 18. Themethod of claim 12, further comprises: detecting a plurality of localamplitude peaks associated with the input signal, wherein the pluralityof local amplitude peaks comprise a first local amplitude peak and asecond local amplitude peak, and the first local amplitude peak occursbefore the second local amplitude peak in time, and adjusting the powerinstruction signal using a decay algorithm when a magnitude of the firstlocal amplitude peak is greater than a magnitude of the second localamplitude peak.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the adjusted powerinstruction signal comprises an exponential decay that is generated bythe decay algorithm.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the generatedvariable rail voltage comprises a plurality of incremental voltagelevels that are based on an output voltage of a battery.